The Backpacker

Travel writing can be more interesting than the actual journey as it gives you the freedom and time to sharpen your memories and let words recreate the fleeting moments of magic and make it last forever. All this however depends on how well you apply your HEART!! It is our heart where our minds look for approval and the eyes for appreciation.

To be a good travel writer then, you must carry your heart on your sleeve, literally. Let the readers see through your eyes and mind and feel with your heart. If you even keep a bit of you hidden, it could make the difference between a good and a thoroughly unpleasant writing. Then you must be a good traveler. And a good traveler sees what he sees and not what he has come to see!! And a good writer allows the reader just that benefit, of not actually having traveled there, but wishing he had!!

History:

Travel writing has been around since the 13th century, when Marco Polo wandered Asia and scribbled down everything he saw. It became a modern craft under the guidance of Mark Twain, who helped popularize the craft. It did not stop there. Travel writing is like a journey itself, once set in motion it takes great courage to stop.

Some years later, along came another travel enthusiast Jack Karouac, who, by his sheer skillful writing launched a cult who came to be called the ‘hippies’ and later modified to “backpackers.” History is witness to this major change which influenced a large number of people by mere words. This shows how much good, honest writing can serve to shake the very foundations of travel writing widely mistaken for travel guides and travelogues. However, for all of its journeys, travel journalism has rarely found its way into a classroom. So how then do we know what we must write?

There are no boundaries to ones creativity or imagination and it would be shameful to let the thoughts and words choke in the boundaries of established rules of writing. Personally I find that the necessity of restricting words dries up the creative juices, yet that very factor in the end brings out the best in travel writing.

Essentials of good writing:

Some questions your article should answer: How to grab and hold you readers' interest. What does the reader want to know? How to take your readers to the location? Why it is imperative you show your readers rather than tell them. Powerful, attention grabbing opening can go a long way to cover up for any messup that may appear in the body. The secret structure of a well written article - successful templates you can inculcate. These are my rules. 1) Observation 2) Assimilation 3) Reflection 4) Formation 5) Reproduction

Observation: What the eye see in the given span of time. Even when traveling you do not have a whole year to gaze at the waterfall just so you write about it. The senses must be sharpened to observe much in a short span. Assimilation: Begins after the eyes have rested and other senses take over, like the ears and the nose. It is how successfully you can discipline your body to work in tandem to reproduce the same feeling your eyes have first seen. In other words complement your sight with smells and reinforce it with touch or sound. If you have forgotten what the said place looked like, chances are that a whiff of some flower or coffee may bring back the visions in startling clarity from where you can continue.

Reflection: Pondering of the bygones, perceiving through application of all the senses. Formation: When the above three have been satisfied, the mind begins to form a picture as the eyes have seen it and the senses have perceived and chooses words to describe the result.

Reproduction: This final stage happens in coordination of all the senses. Once all that is harmony it is ready for the reader.

Who can write: 

Everybody who has the inclination and everybody who dares break new grounds: Anyone who goes somewhere beyond their normal place or work area and shares their experience is basically doing travel journalism. It can be letters or postcards, anything really. It is a craft that offers you a multitude of options and not restricting it to any destination. It about traveling, the things you see, experiences you have and most importantly the people you meet. And it borders on fiction seeing that few writers have taken liberties with facts. How do you then separate fiction from travel writing?

Anyone who is a realistic: There are two ways you can approach travel writing. One is imagining and the other far more encouraged approach is by actually experiencing it. The limitations of the former approach are many. For how can one mind possibly contrive so many images and ideas without repeating itself? The second approach is best for a full time travel writer. What the eyes see and the mind registers is inexhaustible, and there is no fear of repetition. The mind will guide the flow of words and the re-creation of sounds, sights or smells without restriction.

A good travel writer must also keep the following points in mind Avoid the use of too many adjectives. Excessive adjectives do not add to the power of the description. For example if your main focus is snow, there is no need to say it was thick and white and looked smashing in the fantastic brilliant light of the morning sun. Excessive use of adjectives takes the reader away from the main theme…here, the snow. Few things are obvious—that is the beauty. So let it be.

The article must be supported by as many facts as one can fit in reasonably. The trick is not to waste ink and space on the OBVIOUS. A travel writer must therfor be-

a) Truthful b) Apply himself to his task honestly c) Create an atmosphere the reader can feel, see or touch d) Be sure what he wants to write about e) Be as accurate as possible without sounding like a travel guide f) Bring the place to you g) Summon a sense of satisfaction h) Pay attention to detail.

People sometimes “cheat” on a place. You can smell them a mile away.

Why is it necessary to maintain a travel journal?

It helps recall facts and figures, your experience, important places, time, temperature everything that you may want to reproduce later. It is not necessary to write lengthy essays for you may have then missed the woods for the trees. A travel writer is excessively sharp and a keen observer

What is a good read? T

he article must flow on its own, like a stream with its own music. As there are no rules as to what must be described first, every reading in chronological order however appeals to most readers. It is advisable thus to begin at the start and work your way through taking your reader on your journey and seeing them safely back at the destination. In other words, a good beginning and a good ending is must for a good read.

Suggested reading:

Michael Palin: Himalayas

Richard Moreno: The Roadside History of Nevada series and Backyard Traveler As I read this book, I found myself wishing that I had had it along on the many trips I have taken through Nevada. As I finished each section of the book, I was ready to get into the car and go exploring the places that Moreno discusses. Who should read this book? Anyone who has an interest in Nevada and/or western history in general. And anyone who enjoys seeing where history was made.

J K Jerome: Three Men in Boat / Three men on the Bummel: While not really a travelogue, this book has all the elements of a great travel book. Beginning with the plot, which is very simple and a journey which anyone could undertake it reflects the keen observation of the writer of things we would overlook.

Jack Karouac: This not only launched the backpacking tribe but also opened up possibilities of travel writing and helped set a distinct style.